May 11, 2006
CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR FIRST TWO WEEKS OF
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE'S 2006 SPRING SEASON
AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE
Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes to Lead Company Premiere
of James Kudelka's Cinderella, Friday Evening, June 2
Angel Corella Celebrates 10th Anniversary as Principal Dancer
on Tuesday Evening, May 23
Casting for the first two weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2006 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.
The Company will give four performances of Le Corsaire staged by Anna-Marie Holmes, after Marius Petipa and Konstantin Sergeyev, beginning Tuesday evening, May 23, led by Paloma Herrera, Julio Bocca, Angel Corella, Xiomara Reyes, Jose Manuel Carreño and Herman Cornejo. This performance will also celebrate Mr. Corella’s 10th Anniversary as a Principal Dancer with ABT. At the matinee on Wednesday, May 24, Erica Cornejo will dance the role of Gulnare for the first time, and the Wednesday, May 24, evening performance will feature New York debuts by David Hallberg as Conrad and Stella Abrera as Gulnare.
Eight performances of the All-Star Stravinsky program will be presented May 26 through June 1. The New York Company Premiere of John Cranko’s Jeu de Cartes, staged by Jane Bourne and featuring scenery and costumes by Dorothee Zippel, will highlight the performance on Friday, May 26, with Herman Cornejo, Irina Dvorovenko and Xiomara Reyes in the leading roles. Craig Salstein (Joker) and Gillian Murphy (Queen of Hearts) will debut in Jeu de Cartes at the Saturday, May 27, matinee, alongside Erica Cornejo (Two of Diamonds) making her New York debut. Julio Bocca (Joker) and Maria Riccetto (Two of Diamonds) will debut on the evening of Saturday, May 27, with Carmen Corella (Queen of Hearts) dancing the role for the first time in New York. Sarah Lane will debut as the Two of Diamonds on Tuesday, May 30. Jeu de Cartes received its Company Premiere on May 2, 2006 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, CA.
The All-Star Stravinsky program will also feature George Balanchine’s Apollo and Michel Fokine’s Petrouchka. David Hallberg will make his New York debut in the title role of Apollo at the matinee of Saturday, May 27, and Carlos Acosta will dance the same role for the first time with ABT on Saturday evening, May 27. Irina Dvorovenko will make her New York debut as Terpsichore on Monday evening, May 29. In addition, Sascha Radetsky will dance the title role in Petrouchka for the first time at the matinee on Saturday, May 27.
James Kudelka’s Cinderella will be given its Company Premiere on Friday evening,
June 2, led by Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes. Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg will dance the leading roles at the matinee on Saturday, June 3. Cinderella is set to music by Sergei Prokofiev and features scenery and costumes by David Boechler.
Countrywide Financial Corporation is the National Sponsor of American Ballet Theatre.
Northern Trust is a season sponsor of ABT at the Metropolitan Opera House. ABT’s 2006 Spring Season is also made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre.
Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2006 Metropolitan Opera House season, priced $23-$100, are available at the Met box office, by phone at 212-362-6000 or online at metopera.org. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th streets in New York City.
Complete casting follows:
| FIRST WEEK | |
| Mon. Eve., May 22, 6:30 P.M. | OPENING NIGHT GALA GISELLE (Harvest Dance) – Company OTHER DANCES – Kent, Corella SHADOW SONG (with Ruth Ann Swenson) (World Premiere) – Abrera, Saveliev LE CORSAIRE SUITE – Murphy, Gomes, Carreño, Reyes, H. Cornejo MANON, Act II (solo and adagio) – Vishneva SWAN LAKE, Act III (pas de deux and coda) – Dvorovenko, Beloserkovsky APOLLO (variations and pas de deux) – Herrera, Acosta CHACONNE (Company Premiere) – Bocca SYLVIA, Act III (pas de deux and coda) – Wiles, Hallberg |
| Tues. Eve., May 23, 8 P.M | LE CORSAIRE – Herrera, Bocca, Corella, Reyes, Carreño, H. Cornejo |
| Wed. Mat., May 24, 2 P.M. | LE CORSAIRE – Dvorovenko, Beloserkovsky, Corella, E. Cornejo*, H. Cornejo, Radetsky |
| Wed. Eve., May 24, 8 P.M. | LE CORSAIRE – Murphy, Hallberg+, Carreño, Abrera+, Saveliev, Pastor |
| Thurs. Eve., May 25, 8 P.M. | LE CORSAIRE – Kent, Gomes, Acosta, Riccetto, Radetsky, Lopez |
| Fri. Eve., May 26, 8 P.M. | ALL-STAR STRAVINSKY PROGRAM APOLLO – Carreño, Kent, Riccetto, Murphy JEU DE CARTES – H. Cornejo+, Dvorovenko+, Reyes+ PETROUCHKA – Bocca, Abrera, Gomes |
| Sat. Mat., May 27, 2 P.M. | ALL-STAR STRAVINSKY PROGRAM APOLLO – Hallberg+, Part, Abrera, Wiles JEU DE CARTES – Salstein*, Murphy*, E. Cornejo+ PETROUCHKA – Radetsky*, Reyes, Stappas |
| Sat. Eve., May 27, 8 P.M. | ALL-STAR STRAVINSKY PROGRAM APOLLO – Acosta**, Herrera, Riccetto, Wiles JEU DE CARTES – Bocca*, C. Corella+, Riccetto* PETROUCHKA – Corela, E. Cornejo, Zhurbin |
| SECOND WEEK | |
| Mon. Eve., May 29, 8 P.M. | ALL-STAR STRAVINSKY PROGRAM APOLLO – Beloserkovsky, Dvorovenko+, Hamrick, Thomas JEU DE CARTES – H. Cornejo, C. Corella, Riccetto PETROUCHKA – Corella, Abrera, Gomes |
| Tues. Eve., May 30, 8 P.M. | ALL-STAR STRAVINSKY PROGRAM APOLLO – Carreño, Kent, Riccetto, Murphy JEU DE CARTES – Lopez+, Dvorovenko, Lane* PETROUCHKA – Bocca, Reyes, Stappas |
| Wed. Mat., May 31, 2 P.M. | ALL-STAR STRAVINSKY PROGRAM APOLLO – Beloserkovsky, Dvorovenko, Hamrick, Thomas JEU DE CARTES – Bocca, C. Corella, Reyes PETROUCHKA – Radetsky, E. Cornejo, Zhurbin |
| Wed. Eve., May 31, 8 P.M. | ALL-STAR STRAVINSKY PROGRAM APOLLO – Acosta, Herrera, Riccetto, Wiles JEU DE CARTES – Salstein, Murphy, E. Cornejo PETROUCHKA – H. Cornejo, Abrera, Gomes |
| Thurs. Eve., June 1, 8 P.M. | ALL-STAR STRAVINSKY PROGRAM APOLLO – Hallberg, Part, Abrera, Wiles JEU DE CARTES – Lopez, Dvorovenko, Lane PETROUCHKA – H. Cornejo, Reyes, Stappas |
| Fri. Eve., June 2, 8 P.M. | CINDERELLA (Company Premiere) – Kent, Gomes |
| Sat. Mat., June 3, 2 P.M. | CINDERELLA – Murphy*, Hallberg* |
| Sat. Eve., June 3, 8 P.M. | CINDERELLA – Kent, Gomes |
*Please note: First time in a role:
Wed Mat., May 24 – E. Cornejo (Gulnare) in Le Corsaire
Sat. Mat., May 27 – Salstein, Murphy (Queen of Hearts) in Jeu de Cartes; Radetsky (Petrouchka)
in Petrouchka
Sat. Eve., May 27 – Bocca, Riccetto (Two of Diamonds) in Jeu de Cartes
Tues. Eve., May 30 – Lane (Two of Diamonds) in Jeu de Cartes
Sat. Mat., June 3 – Murphy, Hallberg in Cinderella
**Please note: First time in a role with ABT:
Sat. Eve., May 27 – Acosta in Apollo
+Please note: First time in a role in New York:
Wed. Eve., May 24 – Hallberg (Conrad), Abrera (Gulnare) in Le Corsaire
Fri. Eve., May 26 – H. Cornejo, Dvorovenko, Reyes in Jeu de Cartes
Sat. Mat., May 27 – Hallberg in Apollo; E. Cornejo (Two of Diamonds) in Jeu de Cartes
Sat. Eve., May 27 – C. Corella (Queen of Hearts) in Jeu de Cartes
Mon. Eve., May 29 – Dvorovenko (Terpsichore) in Apollo
Tues . Eve., May 30 – Lopez in Jeu de Cartes